Mind Game
by Luthien-Anwaman
Summary: A WRH of Mind Game. It's the Battle City finals, and the Duel between Marik and Mai is raging. But what will happen when Joey finally realises just how much she means to him?
1. The Shadow Duel

Lu: My first fanfiction. *sniff*, What a happy day this is for me. This isn't the first fanfiction I've written, just the first one I've finished and uploaded.  
  
Yami Lu: And the first good one.  
  
Lu: Shut up. Anyway, I think I should add this disclaimer, as is custom: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any related material. I just own the slightly rewritten version of Episode 92, which you may read now.  
  
Yami Lu: Or not.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"No!" shouted Mai Valentine, falling to her knees. Her violet eyes were swimming with unshed tears. Her long golden-blonde hair cascaded into her eyes.  
  
"That's right, my dear, Wheeler is to be erased from your mind forever," said Yami Marik with an evil laugh.  
  
"No, not Joey! Please, don't make him go!" cried Mai, the waiting tears escaping her. She hung her head, shielding her face from the outside world.  
  
"Mai!" shouted a blonde-haired teenager, Joey Wheeler, his brown eyes flashing angrily. "Marik, stop dis!"  
  
"Joey... no..." moaned Mai quietly. And in a barely audible whisper, she finally admitted, more to herself than anyone else, something she had been holding in for a long time: "I love him..."  
  
"What? Mai, what did you say?" said Joey. But Mai had forgotten Joey - his face and voice were but a distant memory to her.  
  
"Who is that? Where is that voice coming from?" said Mai vaguely, forgetting why she was upset.  
  
"OK, I heard I-uv-im... what does dat mean?" said Joey curiously. The rest of the group groaned. They knew exactly how Mai felt about Joey, and how Joey felt about Mai in return. "I is probably de first word," continued Joey, determined to decipher what Mai had said. As Joey figured out what was going on, Marik and Mai continued their duel. "A-uv, buv, cuv, duv, e- uv, fuv, guv, huv, i-uv, juv, kuv, luv... love's a word! OK, I love... now de last word. A-im, bim, cim, dim, e-im, fim, gim, him, i-im, jim..." Joey continued through the whole alphabet. A boy, with brown hair shaped like a horn, sweatdropped.  
  
"He really is dim," he said to the brown haired girl next to him, named Tea Gardner.  
  
"Tristan! Be nice!" whispered Tea, elbowing him in the ribs.  
  
"Try again," said Joey. He began to recite the all the possibilities again. "A-im, bim, cim, dim, e-im, gim, him... wait a sec, him's a word!"  
  
"Joey, Mai's in serious trouble!" shouted a boy with unusual tri-coloured hair. It stuck up like a star on the back of his head, where the bulk of it was black, and the edges were crimson. A couple of blonde streaks ran through the arms of the star, and a small mass of blonde bangs in the centre. Joey, realising he hadn't been paying attention to the duel, turned to see Mai attempting to unlock the golden sphere that was the Winged Dragon of Ra. However, she was failing.  
  
"Mai! C'mon, you can beat dis creep!" shouted Joey, trying to make up for the fact that he had been ignoring her and her duel for the past 10 minutes.  
  
"It's that voice again..." said Mai. That reminded Joey of why he had been trying to figure out what Mai had said.  
  
"I... love... him... she was talkin' about me!" shouted Joey three minutes later, after thinking it over several times. Mai's current situation was even more dire than her last. She was chained to a huge stone tablet by the Holding Arms and Holding Legs monsters. The Winged Dragon of Ra was about to deliver the final attack.  
  
"Mai!" shouted Joey, jumping the barrier between the spectator stands and the duelling arena.  
  
"Joey!" shouted a girl with long brownish-red hair. She was Joey's sister, Serenity. Joey ignored her, and ran to Mai.  
  
"Mai! Can you hear me, Mai?" called Joey, even though he was less than a metre away from her.  
  
"That voice... it sounds... so familiar... like an old friend," said Mai dimly.  
  
"Mai, it's me, Joey! And I've got somethin' to tell you. You know how I got struck by lightnin' durin' my duel with Odion? And den I had dat freaky dream, when we were back at school, but for some reason I couldn't get up. Den all my friends helped me up. Well, dat was only what I told you. You were dere too Mai. I know I told you you weren't. But dere's more. When everyone reached out deir hands to help me up, I chose your hand. Do you know why? Because I love you Mai," he said finally. Suddenly, Mai's eyes widened.  
  
"Joey? Joey! I remember now!" she shouted. Joey's eyes brightened. Mai suddenly looked curious. "What did you just say? Just then?" Joey blushed and looked away.  
  
"Nothin'," he said quietly. Mai smiled. She had heard him, but she wanted to hear it again.  
  
"Really?'Cause I thought I just heard you say that..." She was cut off by Joey grabbing her face. He leaned in and kissed her. She returned the kiss with equal passion.  
  
There was a stunned silence. Mokuba, a boy with long, messy, jet black hair and violet eyes, stared at them like he was transfixed. His eye was twitching slightly. His big brother, Seto Kaiba, host and finalist of the Battle City tournament, was trying to shield Mokuba from the sight.  
  
"Mokuba, go and have a glass of water and forget what you saw," hissed Kaiba, pushing Mokuba into the Battle Ship. Serenity was slightly disturbed by the fact that her brother was kissing Mai, but was happy for him nonetheless. Tristan and the last member of the group, Duke Devlin, looked away in disgust. Yami, the boy with the weird hair, shut off the Soul Link between him and the usual inhabitant of their body, Yugi. Yugi looked much the same as his alter ego, but was about half a foot shorter and did not have the blonde streaks through the arms of the stars.  
  
"Yami! What's going on? Yami! Let me see!" shouted Yugi, pounding on the door of their soul room, which was usually occupied by Yami. Tea looked happy for the couple, but looked away so they could have some privacy. She then became uncomfortably aware that she was standing next to Yami, and immediately blushed.  
  
"Look's like the mutt's found a bitch," sneered Kaiba once he had ushered Mokuba inside the blimp. Joey immediately broke the kiss to scowl at Kaiba.  
  
"How very touching. But I'm afraid your story will not save you from the wrath of the Winged Dragon of Ra!" shouted Yami Marik. The Winged Dragon of Ra began to charge up its final attack.  
  
"Joey! Save yourself! I'm facing this beast on my own!"** shouted Mai, but was unable to push Joey away because she was chained to the tablet.  
  
"Sure you are, Mai, and I'm facin' it with you!"** shouted Joey. He placed his body against hers, so he was in between her and the Winged Dragon of Ra.  
  
"Thank you," said Mai quietly. They placed their foreheads together and waited for the attack to hit. But the hit never came. They opened their eyes and looked around to see what had happened. Yami was being hit by the Winged Dragon of Ra.  
  
"Yugi!" shouted Mai and Joey. Most people in their group were unaware that Yami and Yugi were different people.  
  
"No, Yami!" shouted Tea. The attack stopped, and Yami fell to the ground, unconscious.  
  
"The winner of this duel is Mister Marik Ishtar," said the referee. Mai was released from the stone tablet, which disappeared. She fell into Joey's arms. Tea imitated what Joey had done previously, and jumped the barrier so she could help Yami.  
  
"Yami," she cried, gathering his limp body into her arms. She started to sob. "No, Yami, don't leave me. Please, come back. I love you," she whispered. Yami's eyes shot open.  
  
"Did you just say...?" he said hoarsely. Tea nodded, smiling, her face still wet from tears. He smiled widely. "I love you too Tea," he said. Tea smiled even wider. Yami shut off the soul link between him and Yugi again.  
  
"Yami! What are you doing?" shouted Yugi from within the soul room.  
  
"Ssh," said Yami to Yugi.  
  
Back outside, Tea leaned down. Their lips met.  
  
Mokuba, who had just returned from getting the glass of water, stood transfixed at the sight. Kaiba was furious, and he pushed Mokuba back inside, and followed behind, glaring back at the couple in disgust. Tristan and Duke turned their heads away again. Serenity found it harder to watch this kiss, so she stared at the floor.  
  
As Tea and Yami broke away, Joey held Mai close to him. "Joey, promise you'll be with me 'till the end,"* whispered Mai.  
  
"Not until de end... always,"* said Joey in reply. Mai gave him a small, weak smile. Marik approached the two couples, grinning manically.  
  
"Aww... how sweet," he said in a mocking voice. Tea grabbed Yami and held him close to her. Joey put his arms around Mai's shoulders protectively.  
  
"Marik! You've caused enough damage!" said Yami in a croaky voice.  
  
"I should send you to the Shadow Realm right now," said Marik. Tea gasped and held Yami up against her. "Don't worry, girl, I still need him," spat Marik. He approached Mai and Joey. Every step closer he took, Joey held Mai closer and closer to him, in a hope that if he held her, Marik wouldn't be able to hurt her.  
  
"If you even put a finger on Mai..." he growled. Marik grinned.  
  
"Oh, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice in the matter," he said. Joey suddenly felt his bones and muscles freeze, as Marik used his Millennium Rod to paralyse him. Unfortunately, he had paralysed Joey while he was still holding Mai.  
  
"Joey! Joey, what's the matter?" cried Mai, clinging onto him. Joey couldn't respond.  
  
"Now to deal with you, my dear. We did have an agreement. If you lost, your mind gets sent to the Shadow Realm," said Marik, grabbing Mai's chin and making her look at him.  
  
"Leave me alone, Marik," said Mai, jerking her head out of his grip. Joey was gradually recovering from the effects of the Millennium Rod. He regained full movement, and moved Mai out of Marik's line of sight. He shielded her.  
  
"Leave her alone!" he shouted furiously.  
  
"How about... no?" said Marik, and he once again used his Rod to paralyse Joey. He moved on to Mai. "You still have my Egyptian God card, my dear. But first, let's take care of our deal." His Rod glowed slightly, and Mai collapsed.  
  
"Mai!" shouted Joey, once he was able to move again. He took her lifeless body by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Mai, wake up," he said.  
  
"She will not wake up. Her mind is in the Shadow Realm," said Yami.  
  
"But Yuge, can't you get her out of dere?" asked Joey desperately. Yami shook his head.  
  
"It is not within my power," he said sadly. Joey, to everyone's surprise, started to cry softly. Marik left the arena, leaving the scene of chaos behind him.  
  
Later on that afternoon, Joey could be found by Mai's bedside, with the rest of the group around him. "Why did ya have to leave me, Mai? While we were so happy," he said quietly.  
  
"Mai didn't leave you, Joey. She still loves you," said Tea, putting her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I swear, Mai, I will get you back," said Joey through gritted teeth. He wasn't giving up. Not until Mai was back with him. He loved her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lu: Well, what did you think? Please R+R.  
  
Yami Lu: Or you could just ignore Lu and go off and do your own thing. It's your choice.  
  
Lu: Please review!  
  
**This is a pun on Lord of the Rings that was made up by my friend Inwe- Linwelin for this fanfic.  
  
*These lines were taken from a JouxMai support banner on Together By Fate. The web address is on Shining Friendship's user lookup, the last of the YamixTea links. 


	2. Noa's Offer

Lu: The long awaited second chapter of Mind Game! I said it was one-shot, but people were asking me to update, so here we are! New chapter! It's gonna be 9 chapters long.  
  
Yami Lu: She has a sad, sad life.  
  
Lu: Do not! Anyway, you share a body with me, so your life is mine! Sucks!  
  
Yami Lu: Damn, you got me there.  
  
Lu: Anyway, to yet another army of reviewers:  
  
Shining Friendship: Omg, you're like, one of my favourite authors! I loved Not Really You and Here for You. Anyway, thanks fo reviewing. I wasn't originally going to write a second chapter, but now I am.  
  
Inwe-Linwelin: If you don't update soon, I shall kill you. Simple as that. Thanks for the review though ^-^. And anyone who likes YamixTea and JoeyxMai, read Inwe's Shadow of Reality.  
  
Darks00: Thanks! I was annoyed at the version that they put in, so I wrote something that I thought should have happened. I don't see why not.  
  
19Fleur Delacour07: I was trying to imitate Joey's accent in the dubbed. Anyway, thanks for the review!  
  
AREZAL: I know, don't they all make such great couples? And JoeyxMai... aww...  
  
Alex: Really? Oh well... I just took it off there, I don't know if they took it off there or not. Anyway, thanks for the reviews.  
  
Mai Wheeler: The next chapter! Finally! Well, I can't really say much... we said it all in the reviews for The New Tournament. What episode are you up to now? Poor Joey in 128... so sad. And then he wakes up and one of the first things he does is see if Mai is OK, and then his eyes are all, like, teary and... *sob*  
  
Jellybob 15: There is more now! And although now it is focused on Joey getting Mai back, there is YamixTea. As you might imagine, Inwe-Linwelin and yourself may have killed me if there wasn't. In fact, there's more in this chapter than in almost the whole of what I've posted of The New Tournament.  
  
neo-ransom: Just to let you know, I'm generally referred to as Lu. I'm glad you picked up on that, because I didn't actually remember to say that was a pun at first. You were the first person to figure it out!  
  
kikoken: I know *sob*. Although 173 would come close. That's when Mai's been mind washed, so she can't remember what Joey did for her, I think, and she beats Joey in a duel, and then she breaks free and remembers everything that Joey did for her in 80 and 92. Well, there were some others, but those were the main ones. And then Joey's mind gets sent to the Shadow Realm and Mai's crying and it hurts me just to look at the pictures! Imagine seeing the actual episode. That would be so bad...  
  
o-yugi-o: I know, I could kill 4Kids for taking out all the good parts! Like in 80, Jean-Claude shouts out that Joey doesn't deserve Mai, and then Joey shouts out that he deserves a chance with her! And then they all look at him strangely. And that's so sweet. AND THEY JUST HAD TO CUT IT OUT!  
  
SereneDolphin: Thanks! Compliments mean everything to an author, as I'm sure you know. I liked Memories of Hatred, but you've got to update! I'm dying here!  
  
Lu: Well, that's it for now. This chapter's really short, but I figured you guys wouldn't care as long as I got it up. So here it is!  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __________  
  
Joey tossed and turned, Mai's face as she was sent to the Shadow Realm haunting his dreams. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he sat bolt upright, panting and sweating. He glanced around. He was in Noa's Virtual World with the rest of the group, but he had been separated from most of them. His group at the moment consisted of Yami, Tea and himself. Yami was currently sleeping quietly with his arm around Tea, who was snuggled up into his chest, asleep.  
  
Joey lay back down, and tried to sleep again. But he didn't want to. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of Mai trapped inside an hourglass, which was slowly filling up every night, appeared in his mind.  
  
He got up, careful not to disturb the sleeping couple. He began to walk into the forest, but turned back once he realized that Yami and Tea would be worried about him. He picked up a stick, and wrote in the dust: "Gone for a walk. Be back soon. Joey."  
  
Joey strolled slowly down the dusty, trodden track, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. He tried not to think of Mai's wide eyes, desperate and pleading, but it was impossible. The thought of her stuck in the Shadow Realm filled every molecule of his brain and mind. Suddenly, on the path in front of him, someone appeared. A short, green-haired someone.  
  
"What de... Noa?" shouted Joey in shock and surprise. He wasn't really prepared for what the Virtual World could bring him, his mind still lingering on Mai.  
  
"That's right Wheeler," said Noa, grinning mischievously. He looked the same as ever, his green hair messy, his eyes glinting devilishly.  
  
"What do you want, punk?" said Joey, attempting to mask his sadness, but he failed miserably. Noa could sense his sadness, and grinned again.  
  
"Oh, the usual, your body... or what about your mind?" said Noa in a fake careless voice. He was aware that Mai was in the Shadow Realm, and he had observed Joey waking up suddenly, calling her name. It was fairly obvious that he liked her. He knew that if Joey believed that going into the Shadow Realm would save Mai, he would do it without hesitation.  
  
"My... mind?" asked Joey hesitantly. "You mean... de Shadow Realm?" He didn't know if he would want to go there - Kaiba, Mokuba and Yugi's Grandpa had been trapped in there, and they had made it clear they never wanted to go there again. But if it meant getting Mai back, he was willing to try it.  
  
"Yes. Scared yet?" taunted Noa. He knew Joey wouldn't be scared - he would be more than willing to get sent to the Shadow Realm. It was only after Noa said this that Joey noticed he seemed slightly see-through. Noa was a hologram.  
  
"No," replied Joey, confidently and truthfully. Noa smiled. Everything was going to plan. If he succeeded in sending Joey's mind to the Shadow Realm, another one of the Big 5 would be able to use his body until Joey's mind was freed. The hologram Noa was typing something onto an invisible keyboard.  
  
Joey suddenly felt an immense pain. It was the same pain as when Marik controlled his mind and he was trying to break free. He felt his mind and soul being ripped from his body. He could see his own body, shrinking as he moved further and further away from it. He got a great view of the Virtual World, not that he cared at that point. If he had bothered to look around, he would have seen Kaiba walking determinedly; Serenity, Duke and Tristan sleeping silently next to a campfire; and several members of the Big 5 making their ways towards the people on the ground. But he did not care about this, however, because the pain was overwhelming.  
  
Then the pain stopped just as suddenly as it had begun. He was now surrounded by complete darkness. He stood up, as he had been lying flat on his back. "Mai!" he called. There was no reply. He knew it would not have been that simple, but at least he tried. He began to trudge slowly around the darkness.  
  
A small light was seen in the center of his vision. It was not a bright light, more of a dim glow. But he still made his way towards it, determined to find the only person that was not family that he had ever loved. He emerged into the 'light' to find a swamp-like setting.  
  
'So dis is what de Shadow Realm really looks like...' he thought, looking around. The trees were stripped of leaves and the water was more like mud. Joey called Mai's name again, but heard nothing. 'You better be OK, Mai. Please be OK. I don't know what I'd do if I never saw you again,' he said to her subconsciously.  
  
**************************************************************************** **********  
  
Tea awoke with a start. She found her face buried into Yami's shirt, and blushed. She still wasn't used to being his girlfriend. Disentangling herself from his arms, she looked around for Joey. His sleeping bag was empty, and she couldn't see him anywhere. She crawled over to his sleeping bag. She noticed some dirt that was drawn in, and headed over there.  
  
It read: "G ne fo a alk. B ba k soo . oey." She deciphered the dodgy message, and was relieved. She was afraid Joey might have done something stupid. Crawling back over to Yami, she shook him gently awake.  
  
"Huh? What?" muttered Yami sleepily, yawning. He opened his eyes slowly, and his violet ones met Tea's blue ones. He smiled, and she returned it. "Where's Joey?" he asked shortly.  
  
"Out. Walking. Hopefully," said Tea. "We're alone." Yami's smiled widened. Tea, reading his mind, leant forward and kissed him gently. Yami returned the kiss, his arms wrapping around her waist. Tea encircled his neck with her arms. They continued to kiss for ten minutes, until Yami decided it was about time they find Joey so they could continue on their way.  
  
"Joey," shouted Yami. "We've gotta get moving. We've still gotta find your sister!" He thought that Joey would return to them immediately, but he didn't.  
  
"Joey, come on!" yelled Tea at the top of her lungs. There was still no sign of him. "I sure hope he's around here somewhere, I don't want to go have to search the whole Virtual World for him," she proclaimed to Yami, who nodded.  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __________  
  
Lu: There you go! What did you think? Review! And if you liked it, I recommend my other story, The New Tournament, and Inwe-Linwlin's fic, Shadow of Reality. BUT YOU BETTER UPDATE INWE! YOU HEAR ME?!  
  
Yami Lu: You tell her 24/7 at school, I think she gets the idea.  
  
Lu: Shut up. I thought she needed reminding again. Review! 


	3. Inside the Darkness

Lu: Hello all again! I'm updating this story more often than I am The New Tournament. Oh well. I still need to write the next chapter for that. Anyway, I don't have much romance in this chappie :( I wrote it while watching Vertical Limit, so I was more inspired to write action/adventure. There's less than three seconds of romance in that. *groan*. I wanted more!  
  
Yami Lu: That was a cool movie! With all the explosions, and the avalanches. Hehe! Two people died, though. I don't like it when people die.  
  
Lu: Well, they did. Anyway, reviewers:  
  
DayDreamerz: Hopefully you'll like this as much as The New Tournament!  
  
Inwe-Linwelin: This one's short too. But I think it should be up to standard. And, you are socially immature, it has been official since... forever. Anyway, put up with the timing. Although I suppose 10 minutes is a long time, it isn't long compared to some fics I've read.  
  
neo-ransom: I know 'bout the typos, thanks to you, and now they're fixed. Thanks!  
  
kikoken: Depends where you live. You see, I live in Australia, and we've got two series going at once. I think... on weekends we're up to Kaiba vs Pegasus in Duellist Kingdom... and on weekdays were up to Joey vs Mako in Battle City. Where are you up to?  
  
SereneDolphin: Yes... what a noble cause... actually, it's kinda selfish, cause he can't live without her.  
  
Mai Wheeler: Yeah, but I wrote it ages ago. Just couldn't be stuffed to put it up. You know me, I'm as lazy as hell. I just saw the Strings vs Yugi episodes, and I like that bit where Yugi says "You tell him Yami", and Yami says "I just did". That was so funny!  
  
Shining Friendship: Thanks! Can you do another YamixTea story soon? Sorry, shouldn't pressure you. I know what it's like to have people pushing you to update.  
  
AREZAL: I'm glad I decided to too, because I was only writing one fanfic, and when I didn't feel like writing that I was bored out of my mind. Sure, I could have done homework... wait, did I just say I could have done homework? -_-"If I did I didn't mean it.  
  
Darks00: I hope you like this chappie then! ;)  
  
Lu: Here's the next bit! Hope it's to your liking!  
  
_________________________________________________________________________  
  
Joey began to search everywhere, calling Mai's name as he went. He was desperate to find her now, knowing that he was so close. As he peered around another bare tree, he realised that he wasn't going to get anywhere just searching for her. He needed to think about this.  
  
'Where would Mai be?' he thought, plonking himself down on the branch of the tree. 'She has to be in 'ere somewhere.' He hauled himself up again and leant against the tree. He didn't have any way of knowing where she was. He finally decided that he better just keep searching and hope that something comes to him.  
  
He continued to walk and search, until he reached beyond the swamp. He was back into eternal darkness, stretching as far as the eye could see. He could not see anything except himself. It was like a blank screen except for his wandering body.  
  
He continued to trudge across the barren landscape, until he noticed a figure in the distance. He ran towards it, hoping it was something that could help him find Mai. As he came closer, he discovered it was a blood red door. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he opened it.  
  
A huge claw emerged from beyond the door. Joey slammed the door shut immediately, panting suddenly from shock.  
  
'Whateva dat was, I don't wanna see it again,' he thought. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have much of a choice in that matter. The claw splintered the door, and Joey jumped back in fright. The talon of a huge beast appeared where the door had once been. The talon moved further through the 'opening', and the leg emerged. Joey began to back away quickly, never taking his eyes off the foot of the monster.  
  
The rest of the body emerged through the door. It was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. 'Whoa,' thought Joey. The dragon roared and hissed at him, and Joey spun around and started to run. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw other Duel Monsters appearing. Harpy Lady, Dark Magician, Cyber Commander, Magician of Faith, Mystical Elf - they were all the favourite Duel Monsters of people he knew and cared about. Harpy Lady was Mai's favourite card, Dark Magician was Yugi's, Cyber Commander was Tristan's, Magician of Faith was Tea's and Mystical Elf was Serenity's.  
  
As he continued to run from the Duel Monsters now chasing after him, more and more were emerging. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon - Kaiba's favourite card; the Winged Dragon of Ra - Marik's favourite card; Great Moth - Weevil's favourite card; Legendary Fisherman - Mako's favourite card and Jinzo - Espa's favourite card. The favourite Duel Monsters of everyone he knew were trying to attack him.  
  
Joey ran until he couldn't run anymore. He collapsed onto the ground, clutching a stitch and gasping for breath. He rolled over onto his back, looking up at the never-ending blackness above him. Suddenly, the black was penetrated by two red eyes. He wanted to scream, but that wasn't an option for his dry throat. Instead, he let out a strangled, hoarse croak. The Red- Eyes Black Dragon swung at him with its clawed feet, and he knew no more.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************************  
  
Yami and Tea were now getting desperately worried. "Joey?" shouted Tea, crashing through the undergrowth, the twigs from the trees above sticking into her hair. Yami followed, the twigs snapping against his gelled hair. They could not find Joey anywhere.  
  
"He better not have done anything stupid out of grief," panted Tea. She and Yami had been running around the Virtual World for hours, trying to find Joey. But he was no where to be found.  
  
"Who knows what he might have done," said Yami sadly. It was true - Joey had been grief-stricken at the loss of Mai. He had not even left her bedside for the duel between Kaiba and Ishizu, instead watching it on a huge screen in Mai's room. The gang had often caught him breaking down while at Mai's side, tears pouring down his face as he looked into her tired and lifeless face.  
  
Now it was Tea who broke down, falling into Yami's arms, crying. Yami tried to comfort her.  
  
"He could have killed himself, Yami. He can act so irrationally at times, and he definately is not thinking straight at the moment. What if he commited suicide, Yami?" she cried, weeping uncontrollably. Yami put his arms around her, and they both sank to the ground. Yami cradled Tea, who was still sobbing.  
  
"Tea, Joey wouldn't throw his life away because he lost Mai. He still has a lot to live for. Serenity needs him. And he knows we still care about him. Joey may not always be the most sensible person on the planet, but he isn't going to hurt himself because he lost one of the many people he cares for," said Yami reasonably. Tea continued to cry, and Yami continued to mutter words of comfort and reason.  
  
Suddenly, out of the blue, hologram-Noa appeared beside them. He cackled evilly at the pair, causing Yami to look up.  
  
"Noa," he hissed. "Do you have something to do with Joey's disappearence?" Noa smiled, not a friendly smile, but a smile that said 'Yes-but-I'm-not- going-to-say-that'.  
  
"Of course not," said Noa in a falsely cheerful voice that irritated Yami. Noa just ignored Yami's glares, and looked at Tea. "Hello, Tea, why so down?"  
  
"You know perfectly well why, you little weasel!" shouted Tea, still clutching onto Yami. "You know why Joey's gone, I can tell."  
  
"Fine, you caught me. I gave him an offer and he accepted," said Noa carelessly, waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss the topic.  
  
"What did you do to him?!" yelled Yami, rage building up behind his violet eyes. Noa smiled again.  
  
"Oh, I told him that I could send his mind to the Shadow Realm. He did not object. I knew how much he loved Mai. I figured he'd want to be with her. I was doing him a favour," explained Noa, the grin on his face growing larger. Yami carefully let Tea go, and leapt at Noa. He went right through him, as Noa was a hologram.  
  
"Bring him back," hissed Yami threateningly, picking himself up and dusting the dirt off his jeans. Noa just laughed.  
  
"Do you want to go and get him yourself? I could easily do this for you. Just press couple of buttons-" he mimed doing so, "-And here we go!"  
  
Yami and Tea now felt the pull of their souls seperating from their bodies, and managed to grab onto one another's arms so they could not be seperated. Yami's body now stirred again, as Yugi took control. Yami and Tea couldn't see this, however, as they were now lying face down in a world full of darkness.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************************  
  
Joey reawoke in a cold, dark chamber. A dull red glow reflected off the walls. It flickered, like fire. He sat up, but immediately lay back down again when he felt jabbing and searing pains all over his body.  
  
He tried to sit up again, and felt the pain, but ignored it. He blinked a couple of times, regaining focus in his eyes. When he could finally see again, he saw where the fire was. It was in the middle of the cavern, which seemed to be carved out of rock. It was surrounded by the Duel Monsters. He didn't know why they kept him alive, but he knew he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.  
  
He hoisted himself onto his feet, and kept as silent as possible as he walked around the walls of the cave. He dared not move closer to the fire, not wanting to attract the attention of the creatures. He knew he could not outrun them with his injuries. He simply wanted to try his best at getting out of there, for Mai's sake as well as his own.  
  
He crept out of the cave, past the sleeping Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes who seemed to be keeping watch. His body ached all over, but he didn't utter any cry of pain. He was now surrounded once more by the blackness that dominated the landscape. Tears of pain were now springing to his eyes, but he ignored them. He simply wanted to find Mai and get out of there.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***************************  
  
Yami and Tea stood up. Tea was now wiping the tears from her eyes, while Yami tried to figure out what to do next.  
  
"Our best bet is to find Joey," said Yami finally. Tea nodded, and they began to walk. Suddenly, a small figure appeared on the horizon. It was as small as an ant to them, but it was growing closer. It came closer and closer, until they could distinguish a mop of messy blonde hair.  
  
Tea broke into a run, sprinting towards Joey. Yami followed close behind, now smiling with relief. Joey looked up in time to see some brown hair and some blue eyes, before he was nearly knocked over by the force of Tea's hug. Pain shot up his body again, and he began to pant heavily. He hadn't realised how tired he was.  
  
Tea drew back at hearing Joey's gasps. She let out a cry of surprise. Joey's white t-shirt was stained with blood, and his face was badly bruised and cut. Joey didn't seem to have noticed however, and smiled wearily at them.  
  
"What are you guys doin' in de Shadow Realm?" he asked, but stopped abruptly as he started to gasp for air again. He suddenly felt faint. He collapsed, but was caught by the other two, who then put either one of his arms over their shoulders.  
  
"We came to look for you. Why did you come here Joey?" asked Yami seriously. "The Shadow Realm is a dangerous place, as you seem to have found out."  
  
"I came for Mai. Yami, you don't know what it's like to live without her. Every second kills me. Every second is hell. I love her Yami. Understand dat. And I am not leavin' dis place without her. Please don't try to make me. Dis is my descision. And it's been made," said Joey. He didn't look at Yami as he said this, simply closed his eyes.  
  
"Joey..." began Tea.  
  
"No Tea, don't try to stop me. I am not goin' back without Mai," said Joey, almost agressively. Tea shrunk back slightly, even though she was still supporting him.  
  
"OK, Joey. But we're coming with you," said Yami.  
  
__________________________________________________________________________  
  
Lu: There you go! Wait, I've gotta change the genre now, to Romance/Action/Adventure, huh?  
  
Yami Lu: Go Noa!  
  
Lu: Whatever. Review please! And, anyone who's reading, whose stories I read, *cough*Inwe*cough*, update! Oh and, *cough*kikoken*cough*, if you read this ficcie. Review! 


	4. Meetings and Greetings

Lu: Hey guys! I'm just gonna plung straight into the story, because nobody asked me a question and I really don't have enough time to write replies to every review.  
  
Yami Lu: I'll do the disclaimer so you don't hurt yourself: Lu doesn't even own a brain, let alone Yu-Gi-Oh!  
  
Lu: I own a brain, I just don't use it! Anyway, read my new story, 'Joey's Side of the Story'. I might change the name when I can think of something. Here's the story!  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
Joey, Yami and Tea trudged along, the darkness pressing in on them. The silence was deafening, if that was possible. Joey hadn't said a word for a long time, and although Yami and Tea had tried to start a conversation, it always ended up burning itself out.  
  
"Joey, can we please stop to rest?" panted Tea. Keeping conscious in the Shadow Realm was a difficult task, especially since they had all been mentally exhausted before they got in.  
  
"But I need to find Mai," whined Joey, grabbing onto both Yami and Tea's hands and forcing them to move faster. But Yami and Tea would not speed up, no matter how fast Joey pulled them, and as Joey himself was also tired, he ended up collapsing.  
  
"Finally," gasped Tea, plonking herself opposite Joey, who was breathing heavily, eyes downcast. Yami sat down next to Tea, who immediately rested her head on his shoulder. Joey didn't say anything. He simply looked depressed.  
  
"Come on Joey, it'll be OK," said Yami soothingly. Joey remained silent, and lay down, resting his head on his arm. Soon he was breathing quietly, and kept tossing and turning. Tea was sleeping softly in Yami's arms. Yami was awake and alert, keeping watch.  
  
The next morning they began another long day of walking. They had taken turns in watching, although Yami had taken half of Tea's time. They plodded on, barely able to keep themselves awake.  
  
A while after they were awake, there was some light on the horizon. Upon seeing it, Joey started sprinting towards it. "Mai!" he shouted, hoping for a reply. But he heard none.  
  
Yami and Tea ran after him, trying to call out and slow him down. But Joey would not slow down, bent on finding Mai. He entered the area of light at full pelt, and had to skid to a halt to prevent himself from running straight into...  
  
"A palm tree? What the?" said Joey, nearly forgetting what he was running for in surprise. Tea and Yami caught up with him, breathing heavily.  
  
"Where... are... we?" panted Tea, clutching a stitch. They all looked around, surveying the new area. They were now surrounded by the tall, slender trunks of palm trees. Their feet were buried in soft, fine grains of pale yellow sand. Beyond the sand, a sea of sparkling blue reflected the blazing sun.  
  
"Who'd have thought dat something dis nice is in de Shadow Realm?" said Joey. Yami and Tea nodded in agreement.  
  
"Let's see if there's anything around here," suggested Yami. Nobody had any objections to that, so they began to search the beach area.  
  
Soon, after a long time of searching behind trees and under logs, they stopped for a break. Joey, wiping the sweat off his forehead, looked up at the dazzling blue sky, noticed something that none of them had seen.  
  
"Somethin's reflectin' de light up dere," he observed, getting up and approaching it. Then, with a cry of surprise, he began to run.  
  
"What is it Joey?" shouted Tea, getting up. Yami followed suit. Joey ignored them, and flung himself at a nearby palm tree, climbing it very quickly considering he wasn't the most graceful person there was. He jumped up onto the top of the trunk.  
  
"Joey! Be careful!" yelled Yami, sprinting to the area underneath the tree, followed closely by Tea. They then saw what they had not previously – a large hourglass, almost out of time, and buried in the sand...  
  
"Mai!" shouted Joey, hammering at the glass with his fist. She didn't stir. Joey began trying to break the glass by hitting it.  
  
"Joey, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that!" called Yami. Joey paused, then bent down and ripped one of the long, strong branches of the tree he was on. He then drew it back, and hit the glass at full force. The glass shattered, showering Joey. He shielded his face with his arm, feeling several piece of glass embed themselves in his skin. He didn't have time to complain however, because the sand was no pouring out of the hourglass.  
  
"Joey, are you OK?" squealed Tea, while she and Yami bent their heads to prevent the sand from blinding them. When there was no reply, she looked up. The downpour of sand had stopped, so she didn't have to worry about that. When she couldn't see Joey at the top of the tree, she dropped her eyes to the ground. Joey was sprawled out on the sand, eyes closed. And on top of him, lay Mai, unconscious.  
  
"Joey! Mai!" shouted Yami, and he and Tea ran to their sides. Joey stirred, and his eyes opened to tiny slits.  
  
"Is Mai OK?" he asked hoarsely. Yami nodded. Joey sat up, not knowing that the weight he felt on his chest was, in fact, Mai. Mai fell off him. His eyes shot open, and he grabbed Mai and cradled her in his arms.  
  
"Joey?" said Tea softly. Joey didn't respond. He continued to stare at Mai, never taking his eyes off her face.  
  
"I'm OK," he replied finally. "But... but Mai's..." He trailed off, his eyes glistening with tears.  
  
"Mai will be fine, Joey," said Yami sternly. "Let's just set up camp somewhere and hope she wakes up." Joey thought about it for a moment. (A/N: Joey thinking?!?! Is the world coming to an end?!?!) He nodded slowly, and Yami breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought he might have lost Joey to sadness.  
  
Joey stood up, never taking his eyes off Mai, who he was carrying in his arms. She hadn't stirred since he had seen her in the hourglass, and he was desperately worried for her, as was to be expected. Yami and Tea began walking back out of the beach scene, and into the shadows that were the real look of the Shadow Realm. Joey followed slowly.  
  
"Mai, please be OK," he breathed, letting the thumb of the hand he held her head with trace her cheek. Mai stirred slightly, and rolled over in his arms. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Then he steadied himself, as the sleeping Mai nuzzled into his chest. He felt heat rising to his face, even though she was asleep. He didn't want to wake her, so he started walking very lightly and slowly.  
  
"Joey, you coming?" yelled Yami from 50 metres ahead. Joey quickly shifted Mai's weight onto on arm and pressed his finger against his lips, jerking his head towards Mai before moving her back into his arms again. Yami mouthed a silent 'oh', and quickened his pace so they could find another campsite.  
  
"Yami, does it honestly matter where we camp? It all looks the same to me," said Tea. Yami shrugged.  
  
"I suppose you're right," he agreed, and flung himself onto the ground in a very careless manner. Tea giggled and sat down next to him. He drew his arm around her, pulling her closer.  
  
Joey slowly approached the other couple, his eyes still lingering on Mai. Sitting down nearby, he placed her gently on the ground.  
  
"C'mon Mai, wake up soon," he whispered quietly. He lay on the ground next to her and closed his eyes, drifting into a fitful sleep. Yami and Tea also fell asleep, curled up in each other's arms.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Mai woke with a start. Her eyes shot open, and she started panting heavily. Her eyes scanned the area frantically, until they rested on the sleeping Joey. She immediately calmed down slightly.  
  
"Wh-what? Joey?" she said. Joey didn't wake up.  
  
'How do I know that that's really Joey? It could just be a trick of the Shadow Realm...' she thought. 'But, I'm not in the hourglass anymore, and... and Yami and Tea are over there! So it must be Joey!'  
  
"Joey!" she shouted. Joey sat up, dark rings under his eyes and his hair messy.  
  
"What?" he asked grumpily. Then he noticed who had spoken. "Mai!" He jumped up and engulfed Mai in a hug. She hugged him back, glad to see him again. Then she started to break down.  
  
"I-I thought y-you'd never come and f-find m-me," she sobbed, making Joey's t-shirt a bit wet. Joey didn't care though, just glad to have Mai back in his arms.  
  
"Mai, I never stopped thinkin' 'bout you. You should have known I wouldn't stop until I found you. De only thing I ever thought of was you. And now you're back!" he said excitedly, and drew out of the hug, his face beaming. Both of their eyes filled with tears, yet their faces remained in a smile.  
  
"I'm so glad you're here Joey," said Mai. And with that they finally got to share their second kiss.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Lu: There we go. Sorry for the crappilated chapter, I really don't have much time to do anything. But it's no over yet! They're not out of the Shadow Realm!  
  
Yami Lu: Who said Noa will ever let them out?  
  
Lu: Me! Review! 


	5. Goin' Back Home

**Lu:** Hey y'all, and welcome to the next chapter of Mind Game! Today's chapter: Noa vs. Yami and Joey. I figured I better put at least one duel in this fic. Otherwise it's kind of a poor excuse for an Action/Adventure fic if there isn't a duel.

**Yami Lu:** It is a poor excuse for an Action/Adventure fic anyway, so why even try to make it better?

**Lu:** Because _some_ people think it's good. Some very loyal reviewers actually _read_ the story. And these are they:

DayDreamerz: Nup, but I will now! I love JoeyxMai fics, as you might have noticed. Shut up, I know you know!

Nessie Cat: Stupid constructive critism. But I will do in future. But there's only one more chapter to go, so I'll just do it in The New Tournament.

Mai Wheeler: I swear, it's scary. I never thought that there was such thing as ESP, but I swear, either you or me must have it.

Moon Comix: Noa is Kaiba's step-brother and Gozubaro's son. Go to Absolute Anime, the Yu-Gi-Oh!, then Noa Kaiba. That gives you a fairly simple yet comprehensive character analysis.

Everyone Else: Thanks for the reviews, I love y'all!

**Lu:** Well, that's it for today. I'm sorrry it took me so long to update, but I had a _huge_ science project. And I've got half-yearlies coming up soon too. Mum's threatening to take away Foxtel if I don't get good marks. And since the new series of Yu-Gi-Oh! is on now, I figure I better try _real _hard.

* * *

Mai and Joey soon woke up Yami and Tea, who were ecstatic at the fact that Mai was awake, but no one was as cheerful as Joey was that morning. He was so overwhelmingly cheerful that he could even listen to one of Tea's friendship speeches, as she lectured them on the fact that they had to stay together while they were in there.

They sat down to a breakfast of cooked candy bars, made by Joey. "Umm... Joey? Where _did_ the candy bars come from?" asked Mai suspiciously.

"I always carry some kind of candy in my pocket, along with a picture of Serenity, a picture of you and my duellin' deck," claimed Joey.

"A picture of me? Let me see," demanded Mai, moving closer. Joey dug through his pockets, emptying them as he went. The photo of Serenity, duelling deck, several chocolate wrappers, and several non-opened bars of chocolate were dumped onto the ground.

Finally, Joey found the photo. It wasn't crumpled, despite being stuffed in a pocket. It was of Mai, dressed in her Duellist Kingdom outfit, that Joey had obviously taken when she wasn't looking. She looked stunning. She was smiling gently, her eyes sparkling and her hair shimmering under the light from the moon.

"When did you take this?" asked Mai, eyeing the picture. Joey grinned guiltily.

"I took it when Yami had just won back your star chips, after I had stolen dem and den given dem back. You were smilin' after Yugi, and I hung back a sec and took de picture," he explained.

"You've liked me that long?" asked Mai, now starting to smile. Joey nodded.

"Anyway, Yami, how do we get out of de Shadow Realm?" questioned Joey, turning his attention to Yami. Yami had previously been deep in conversation with Tea, leaving Joey to catch up with Mai. After all, they had had barely five minutes after they had gotten together before Mai had been taken away. But now they needed to escape from the Shadow Realm.

"I do not know, Joey. I think we can only get out if Noa lets us get out," replied Yami. Mai grabbed Joey's hand and squeezed it very tight.

"Joey, does this mean that we're going to be stuck in here for longer?" she asked faintly. Joey took her hand and enclosed it with his two. She simply stared at his hands, looking lost and confused.

"Mai, are you OK?" asked Joey in a concerned voice. Mai shook her head slightly. Joey raised his hand to touch her cheek. She was cold and trembling. Suddenly, she collapsed into Joey's arms.

"Mai!" he yelled, shaking her gently. She didn't wake. A small cackle came from behind Yami and Tea. They all looked in the direction of the laugh, where they saw a green-haired someone. Noa stood before them again.

"Why, hello, I wasn't aware you were here," he said in a mock-cheerful voice. Joey was shaking with rage, and wouldn't look at Noa. He instead stared straight at Mai, before clenching his eyes tightly shut to stop the tears from pouring down his face.

"What do you want with us now, Noa?" demanded Yami, standing up so he was taller than Noa. Tea stood up next to him. But they were both pushed aside by Joey, who was taller than them both and towered over Noa. His head was bowed slightly so his eyes were shadowed by his hair, and his mouth was set in a straight, hard line.

"Ah, Joey. How have you and Mai been?" taunted Noa. Joey's head shot up, revealing eyes that were seething with anger and revenge.

"What did you do to her, Noa?" he spat, taking another couple of steps forward. Tea and Yami stood back - they realised that this was between Joey and Noa. Noa's grin faded to a smirk.

"I just made her wake up. Isn't that what you wanted me to do?" he asked in feigned innocence. Joey's anger was replaced instantly by curiousity.

"You made her wake up? You mean she is currently wakin' up on de blimp?" he inquired distrustfully. Noa shrugged.

"Not quite. She is in the Virtual World with the rest of your friends. If you succeed in beating the game, she will wake up on the blimp, the same as the rest of you," he answered. A half smile flickered across Joey's face, before being replaced by another scowl.

"What about us? Are you gonna to let us out of here?" asked Joey. Noa considered it for a moment and then shook his head.

"What fun would that be?" he asked, grinning.

"So what do you want us to do to get outta here?" asked Joey, fists clenched.

"How about a duel?" requested Noa, withdrawing his deck from his pocket. Joey nodded, but Yami stepped forward.

"Joey, let me duel. You've been through enough today," suggested Yami, gesturing for Joey to step back. Joey shook his head, and began to speak, but was interrupted by Noa.

"I will duel you both," he smiled. Joey and Yami glanced at each other, then looked back at Noa, nodding. The duel disks activated, shooting the hologram projectors out to either side. They all inserted their decks.

"As my deck master, I shall choose Kuriboh," said Yami, taking the card out of his deck. The furball appeared beside him, bouncing and hopping.

"For Mai's sake, I choose Harpies Brother as my deck master," announced Joey, playing the card. Harpies Brother materialized next to Joey, clutching a whip in his hand.

"And for my deck master, Swordstalker will do," said Noa boredly. Swordstalker appeared, its blade glinting in what little light there was.

"I'll go first," claimed Yami. "I'll place one card face down and summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode." A holographic card appeared face down on the field and Gazelle appeared, snorting and growling.

"I draw," announced Noa. "I also play a card face down, and now I summon Gryffor in defence mode. With that, I end my turn." **_[A/N: Sorry, I don't know any of Noa's monsters. We haven't quite got up to him duelling yet, and I don't have time to look them up on the net.]_**

"My turn now," said Joey, drawing a card. "I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode! I den play one card face down, and end my turn. Over to you, Yami."

_'What is Joey doing summoning such a weak monster in attack mode?'_ thought Yami, examining Joey's monsters and face down card. _'Is his mind elsewhere, or has he got a strategy?'_

"I summon Berformet and activate my face down card, Polymerization, to create Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" shouted Yami, playing Berformet and pressing a button to activate Polymerization. "The Battle City rules state that I must wait one turn before attacking with my fusion monster, so I end my turn."

"Foolish move, Yami," smirked Noa. "I active my face down card De-Fusion. This will break down your Chimera into its two fusion material monsters. I also summon Ryu-Ran." Yami's monster was transformed into Gazelle and Berformet. Ryu-Ran also appeared on the field. "Ryu-Ran, attack Berformet!" shouted Noa. The egg-like creature shot forward and destroyed Berformet. Yami's life points were brought down to 3500. **_[A/N: Sorry, I don't know what Ryu-Ran's attack and defence strengths are.]_**

****

"Yami!" squealed Tea. Yami winced slightly, but turned around and gave Tea a thumbs up, at which she sighed with relief.

"I'm gonna summon Alligator Sword, and use my own Polymerization to fuse my two monsters together to create Alligator Sword Dragon! As Yami said before, I can't attack with a fusion monster, so I'll play one card face down to keep you guessin'," announced Joey, playing the cards.

"OK, it's my turn now. I switch my Gazelle to defence mode, and place one card face down," sighed Yami.

"Being forced to run and hide, are we Yami? I summon 7 Coloured Fish in attack mode, and take out your Gazelle. Then I play this magic card, Horn of the Unicorn, to raise my Ryu-Ran's attack points by 500. He will now take out your Alligator Sword Dragon!" shouted Noa.

"Activate trap!" yelled Joey. "My trap is Gravity Bind, which prevents all monsters Level 4 and under on your side of the field from attacking. So that means both of your attacks are cancelled!" Both of the monsters' attacks were blocked by a huge sonic blast heading towards Noa's side of the field.

"No!" groaned Noa in frustration. "I almost had you there. I almost got rid of all your monsters!"

"Not quite," retorted Joey. "My turn." He drew a card.

_'Hmm...'_ he thought. _'Dis card could be helpful. But it's not strong enough to destroy his Ryu-Ran, although it could take out his 7 Coloured Fish. But so could my Alligator Sword Dragon.'_

"Play the card," advised a voice from behind him. Joey turned to see Harpies Brother nodding. Joey took his deck masters advice, and played the card he had drawn.

"Dis is for Mai!" he shouted. "I summon Cyber Harpy to de field." He turned to Harpies Brother, who smiled.

"One of my deck master abilities is that I automatically raise the attack points of any non-fusion Winged Beast monster on your side of the field by 500," said Harpies Brother.

"Cool," exclaimed Joey. "Dat means dat my Cyber Harpy's attack points go up to 2300! Cyber Harpy, attack his Ryu-Ran, and Alligator Sword Dragon, attack his 7 Coloured Fish!" Noa's monsters were destroyed, and his life points were lowered to 3700. "Dat leaves you wide open for a direct attack, Noa. Over to you, Yami."

"Thank you," said Yami, and drew a card. "I switch my Gazelle to attack mode, and summon Dark Magician Girl. Gazelle and Dark Magician Girl, attack Noa's life point directly!" The Dark Magician Girl attacked with a flourish of her staff, and Gazelle leapt forward his its claws bared. Noa's life points were down to 100 within seconds.

"Yes! Go Yami! Go Joey!" cheered Tea happily. Yami and Joey both turned and gave her the thumbs up, and Yami even winked.

"My turn now," said Noa, scowling. He drew a card, and placed it face down. "I play these two cards face down, and summon a monster face-down in defence.That will end my turn."

"My turn, Noa, and it seems like you're all washed up. Attack, Alligator Sword Dragon!" commanded Joey. The dragon shot forward to attack, but Noa's smug scowl had suddenly been replaced by a grin.

"You've activated my trap card, Wheeler. This destroys the offending monster and leaves my monster unscathed. It also delivers 1000 points of direct damage to your life points," he announced. Joey's life point were brought down to 3000.

"Hmm... I'll end my turn here," said Joey doubtfully.

"My turn then," claimed Yami. "And I play this Harpies Feather Duster card to get rid of your face down card. I then attack your face down defence monster with Dark Magician Girl!" The Dark Magician Girl attacked the monster, which was destroyed.

"No!" growled Noa. "I can't lose! I just can't!" Then he regained composure. "I suppose this was just a duel to try and gain an advantage that I never expected to have in the first place."

"Yes, you have lost, haven't you Noa? Gazelle, attack his life points directly!" yelled Yami, and it was all over. Yami and Joey had won.

"You did it!" shouted Tea, and she ran into Yami's arms, who hugged her tightly. But Joey was not easily sidetracked.

"Noa, de deal was dat if we won de duel, you would release us from de Shadow Realm. I'm sure you can remember dat. Now, it's time to hold up your end of de deal. Release us," demanded Joey. Noa shrugged, and clicked his fingers. All three of them felt a strange, unpleasant feeling, as they were pulled from the Shadow Realm.

* * *

**Lu: **Yay! Joey and Yugi won! I know that was a very short duel, and they won very easily, but Noa wasn't really trying his hardest. I reckon Noa's a bit like Artemis Fowl, if anyone's read that book. I've got all three! I love those books! Anyway, the next chapter is the epilogue. Not much longer to go. :( This will be my first finished chapter story, so y'all better review!

**Yami Lu:** Nobody wants to review you. Just get used to the fact that no one likes you.

**Lu:** Hey, people like me! Like my invisible friends here!

**Yami Lu:** They don't count.

**Lu:** Don't let them hear you say that. Anyway, review please!****


	6. Epilogue: Mind Games

**Lu:** It's all over! What am I going to do with the rest of my life?! Anyway, reviewers:

Hysterik-Angel: It's finished, as you might have noticed. I will go and renovate it, putting in my usual formats and stuff, but other than that the whole story is finished. My first finished chapter fanfic. {sniff}

DayDreamerz: OK… that makes sense… not… oh well, I'm not holding it against you. I personally enjoy most of the duels, until they get too long and pointless.

Shining Friendship: I try to update as often as possible, but it takes me forever because I have two other stories to update. If you get bored, try reading those!

Darkhope: Would I ever leave Mai hurt? Honestly, I thought you knew me better than that. J/k

Moon Comix: I might go and revise the story, and put that in, so thanks. But that will be after I've finished the New Tournament as well.

Mai Wheeler: I hope this update was soon enough for you. Tell me when your emails fixed, KK?

Jellybob 15: Omg, we had to read that book for class. But there was no romance :( I was so upset. Anyway, yes, this is ended. But I hope you will continue to review the New Tournament. ;)

AREZAL: Yup, that's my next update. I've started writing the next chapter. Do no worry, I'm not neglecting any of my fanfics, because I update them in a circle.

Carolin Rocha: This is a changed script. The one on the show was made up by Kazuki Takahashi and all of the YGO writers, whereas that was made up by me. You can kinda tell from the lame and inaccurate duelling.

Demented Insane Spirit: Love the name ;) Anyway, yes, _HUGE _YamixTea fan. It was the first couple I realised on the show, even before JoeyxMai, even though I like them better.

Everyone else: Thanks for the reviews guys!

**Lu:** This is it… the last chapter ever… I hope you all review. No wait... I know you'll all review. Hint hint. Anyone who reads this chapter must review, OK? Agreed? OK, thank you. And here it is for the last _ever_ chapter of Mind Game. Yami, you finish... I can't do it...

**Yami Lu:** This is the last chapter. Boo-hoo. This is the story. Yay.

* * *

A soft call awoke Joey from his unconscious state. He was slightly delirious, and muttered something about hamburgers and ice cream.

"Joey," prompted the voice. It was a soft and soothing voice, but each syllable pounded into Joey's head like a nail. His forehead throbbed painfully. He moaned slightly. A warm, soft had brushed his hair off his forehead and pressed against it.

"Joey, you seem sick," said the voice worriedly. Joey blinked his eyes open. His vision was blurred, but there was a large, dark figure blocking his view. The figure let out a long sigh. The breath gave relief from his thumping head. He blinked a couple of times, clearing his vision. The figure swam in and out of focus. He moaned again. His eyes finally found the figure, and he gasped.

It was Mai. She smiled softly. Joey smiled back, but the effort of moving made his head ache again. Mai's face fell quickly as Joey's face contorted in pain. She pressed her hand against his forehead again. His skin was cold and clammy, and he was breathing heavily.

"Joey, you're really sick. C'mon, I'll get you somewhere comfortable," she suggested, leaning down and slinging his arm around her shoulder. She helped him to his feet. Joey winced at every movement. He must have hit his head on something, because the pain was drumming painfully into his cranium. With Mai's help, he stumbled over to a log which he could sit on.

They were in a large field, surrounded on all sides by trees. Yami and Tea sat nearby. Mai sat down next to Joey, breathing out heavily.

"I'm glad that's over," she sighed. "I couldn't stand that place much longer. It was so gloomy and dark. Exactly the opposite of what I like." Joey 'hmm'ed.

"Joey, Mai." Yami and Tea were approaching them. Mai looked up, while Joey flinched at the words that were digging into his skull. "We have decided that we have to find the others. That means that we can get out of Noa's virtual world," explained Yami.

"OK, then let's go," said Mai determinedly, standing up. She turned to Joey to help him up, but his hand was clutched to his head. Mai immediately became caring.

"Nah, I'm fine," assured Joey, waving away Mai's concern. He stood up, and a wave of dizziness overcame him, so he sat down again.

"No, you're not OK. How about you guys go on ahead, and I'll help Joey," suggested Mai. Yami and Tea agreed, and began to walk down the poorly made dirth path. Mai helped Joey to his feet, and put his arm around her shoulder. She put her own arm around his waist. He put almost his full weight onto Mai, making it almost impossible for her to even stand up, let alone walk with him. Joey's eyes were half closed.

"Guys! This could take a while!" she shouted. Yami glanced over his shoulder, and laughed.

"Let me help," he said, running back and putting Joey's other arm over his shoulder.

-

Many hours later, Tea and Mai were supporting Joey. Yami wandered ahead. He was now aware of Yugi's prescence nearby. He had assumed that once he had gone back to Noa's virtual world, his mind would once again fuse with Yugi's, but he found that he couldn't feel the youth's mind inside his own. Instead, he could sense that Yugi was not far away from where they were, so he glanced around them constantly, searching desperately for his hikari. After all, he had never been separated from Yugi for excessive periods of time.

"Yami, hold up a second," panted Tea. Joey usually supported about 1/4 of his weight on his own, because his legs wouldn't support his weight. No one knew what was wrong with him. He couldn't support his whole weight, and sometimes he couldn't support any of it. At this point in time, Joey's feet were dragging along the ground as Mai and Tea pulled him along. Yami came to a halt.

"Sorry... guys..." breathed Joey, his voice quavering and weak.

"S'OK Joey," comforted Mai. "We'll get you somewhere as soon as we get out of this virtual hell." Yami suddenly started sprinting forward for no apparent reason.

"Yami?" questioned Tea, but he did not stop. He had sensed Yugi's prescence very closely.

Yugi?he sent out, using the mind link they had often used when thier bodies were one. There were several seconds of baited silence, broken only by Yami's panting and the sound of his boots hitting the ground.

/Yami?/ came the long-awaited reply. /You're back? Where are you?/

We got out of the Shadow Realm after we found Joey and he found Mai,explained Yami. I'm somewhere on a track, with the other three.

/Joey found Mai?/ gasped Yugi, delighted. /But that's great! You must be close by, because we've only ever been able to mind link in close quarters. Wait.../ There was several moments of nothing, and then Yugi emerged from some nearby bushes. His face lit up as he saw Yami.

"Yami!" he shouted, running towards him, arms outstretched. But as he reached Yami, he went through him as their bodies united again. In Yami's place, Yugi now stood.

-

Joey's eyes flickered open. He sat up in the pod room, stretching and yawning widely. They had defeated Noa, now they had escaped from the virtual world. Everyone except Kaiba and Yugi, that is. Yugi had stayed back in the virtual world to find Kaiba. Joey got up from his pod and found that the pain that had plagued him ever since his trip to the Shadow Realm had disappeared. Even to Kaiba's medical team, many hours later, this was a mystery. But theory is that it may have payed a part in his weakening within his duel with Marik, but that's another story. 

The group huddled together worriedly. Kaiba and Yugi were still in the virtual world, and there was only minutes until the whole floating island blew up, courtesy of Noa.

"Guys, we better get onto the blimp, otherwise none of us is going to get out of here alive. We'll be able to start the blimp up while the other two are coming back," suggested Mokuba after a very nervous minute. Serenity, Tristan, Duke and Joey nodded; and they sprinted towards the landing area.

_"One minute to self destruction,"_ chimed the computerised voice, sounding cheerful about its own destruction. The gang reached the blimp and jumped on board. They immediately ran into the cockpit, and Mokuba ordered them to start the engines up.

_"Thirty seconds to self destruction,"_ said the voice again. Joey hung off the stairs, looking for Yugi and Kaiba. After another 10 seconds, they both appeared at the top of the stairs. The blimp was already 2 metres into the air, but Kaiba took a great jumping leap and landed on the stairs next to Joey. Yugi also made an attempt at a jump, but he was too short to reach the steps, but his hand grasped Joey's. Joey pulled him up and all three of them ran inside. The stairs folded up and the blimp took off just as the floating complex blew up.

Kaiba took the controls of the blimp and pushed it to its limits to escape the blast. For several moments, the blimp was englufed by flames, but Kaiba managed to force the blimp to fly faster, and the blimp zoomed out of the fire and out into open air. Everyone breathed out simulataniously.

"Joey, are you going to check on Mai?" asked Serenity innocently. **_[A/N: OK, who else here hates Serenity? Because she is the most irritating little {censored} in the world. Worse than Rebecca, I swear.]_**

Joey's face drained of colour. He couldn't bear to think of the thought that Mai may not be in her bed, waking up. The Millenium Puzzle flashed, and Yami approached Joey. He lifted one hand up and placed it on Joey's shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"She will be there Joey. She'll be awake," he assured. Joey swallowed, and nodded. He lead the way to Mai's room. The rest of the group claimed that they would wait outside for a while, while Joey went in.

Joey pushed the button to open the door to the medical room. Inside was... **_[I should leave it there but I'm not that mean] _**

Mai! She was sitting up, stretching her slender arms. Joey's face lit up, and he rushed towards Mai. She barely saw him before she was in his arms and having the life squeezed out of her.

"Joey, you're squashing me," giggled Mai. Joey realised this, and he released her.

"Sorry about that," he apologised, but he couldn't keep the grin from his face. Mai smiled back half-heartedly.

"Are you OK Mai?" he questioned in a concerned voice. Mai sighed and shook her head.

"Marik... he took away all my memories and made illusions to trick and confuse me. How do I know this isn't another one of his mind games?" As an answer, Joey kissed her. Mai returned the kiss. As they broke away, Joey smiled.

"Does dat seem like one of Marik's mind games?" asked Joey.

"No, it didn't," confirmed Mai, pulling him in for another kiss.

* * *

**Lu:** That's it. All done. Forever. I can't bear it! Review!


End file.
